Talking about Olympic events while ramping up for the next major competition in Tokyo!

Saturday, October 24, 2015

Star Wars Saturday: Trailer Reaction

Let's talk the trailer for a bit. How awesome was that?

Watch it again. I'll wait.

The first thing that came to my mind as I watched it was how amazing the music was. From the opening notes - in a high treble for Rey, a lower octave for Finn, and the deep, rich sound for Kylo Ren, the music conveyed tragedy and power. (Those opening notes are also the chords for "Han and the Princess," AKA Han and Leia's Love Theme, of which the entire theme is played later in the trailer.) And then the booming minor chords of the Force Theme, and finally, at the very end, the solo horn playing Luke's Theme. That ending is perfection.

The trailer also told us a lot, and nothing. It told us that Rey doesn't think highly of herself, and does have aspirations of leaving the planet (just look at the distant look of longing near the beginning of the trailer. Right before it cuts away her eyes are wistful with just a hint of a smile on her face, like she's imagining some far-off adventure.) Finn doesn't know what to do now that he's not a stormtrooper anymore. Kylo is going to finish what he believes was Darth Vader's mission. And finally, Han is saying that the "hokey religion" he didn't get in A New Hope is something he now believes in with his whole heart.

But we still don't know the main plot. Heck, we still haven't seen half characters, including Luke Skywalker! I'd be more upset if people on the Internet weren't assuring me that this is because Luke is so hugely important that his involvement in the plot can't be shown. (Thanks, Internet! Where were you Skywalker fans 20 years ago? I thought I was the only one!)

One thing that I heard in watching the trailer for the very first time was Han talking about all of it being true. He says, "The dark side." And then he says, as Poe Dameron passes Finn and greets him, "A Jedi." Most of the Internet is saying that it's "The Jedi." But no. Go back and listen carefully. Han is specifically talking about one Jedi - the Jedi that helped save the galaxy. Luke. That line becomes even more important when the right article (a, an, the articles) is put in place.

Something else I saw was that the dogfights in the trailers - the ones between the Millenium Falcon and TIE fighters, as well as the ones between X-Wings and TIE fighters - have all taken place in some sort of atmosphere. They're very close to planets. I don't think we've seen one space fight yet! Yes, we've seen ships in space, but unless you count (likely) Finn's TIE fighter getting blasted from the sky, they're keeping the battles out of space.

I had already purchased my ticket for the Star Wars Marathon on December 17: all seven movies in one day. But after the trailer, I went and purchased another ticket for December 18! If that was what the trailer was supposed to do, then it did its job. I can't wait for this movie. And believe me; if I'm not sleeping the Saturday after because of my marathon viewing, I will tell you all about my experience.

Since I've gushed over the music of the trailer already, you can listen to it sans dialogue and special effects here. Enjoy!